WAC Takes Action During Women’s History Month

March was Women’s History Month, and Campo students took matters into their own hands to spread awareness on modern and historic feminist issues and movements. Campo’s Women’s Awareness on Campus Club (WAC), led by president senior Adriana Colon, has taken initiative by organizing a number of different activities for students to participate in at school. These projects seek to commemorate female accomplishments and bring about necessary and insightful discussions.

Colon and her team at WAC found that having 1 big event with a few smaller events sprinkled in between was the most effective way to target and connect with the student body. The club worked with Camp’s Leadership Equity Council (LEC) to organize and design different forums and panels. On March 30, WAC and LEC arranged a 5-person panel that, according to Colon, engaged in a “fantastic discussion that touched on a lot of important issues.” Colon also explained that the forum had a turnout of about 20 people, which allowed for “a lot of new and varying perspectives.”

In addition, WAC posted different biographies of several famous and influential feminist figures around campus. These bios were scattered throughout different halls, being decided depending on each classroom’s respective subject. For example, in the science hall, WAC posted brief biographies of women in chemistry, such as Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin. On the doors of history classrooms, women who made their marks in history, such as Amelia Earhart, were posted.

However, WAC’s biggest event and contribution is still to come. WAC’s annual Women’s Symposium is taking place at the Campo library on April 16. The symposium is a remarkable event that brings together feminists from all over the Bay Area. This year, Colon explained the symposium will feature a NASA scientist, non-profit organizers, and a UC Berkeley Law professor, who will “talk about their experiences as women in the workforce.” Colon and WAC are anticipating a great turnout and “hope everybody loves it as they have in past years”.

This year, WAC shed light upon female achievement and reminded Campo of all that women have contributed to global culture and society. From science to politics, historic women have made enormous strides. However, textbooks and mainstream narratives don’t often include authentic and complete female stories, so it is important that groups like WAC celebrate their efforts and recognize women as dynamic leaders of power and change, as well as outstanding role models for people today.